Nathan Bressington set a new club record of five tries in a league match as Stour gave local rivals Bromsgrove a 12-try battering to take the National League Two North promotion battle to the final day of the season.

Bromsgrove took an early lead with two penalties in the first nine minutes but that was to be the last time they would trouble the scorers as Stour ran in six tries, including a hat-trick for wing Bressington, before the break.

Conscious that leaders Macclesfield, who lead by four points, closed down the points difference advantage Stour had held in the league table to just 13 last week, the home side kept up the pressure to land another six tries after the restart to extend the difference to a healthy 74 – which should be worth an extra point should the two teams be level on points after the final match.

Director of rugby Neil Mitchell said: “It was good to get the points difference up and to get the five points and that is all that matters now. We played pretty well and Bressington scored five tries which is a club record I am told. We kept the pressure up and now it is going to the wire.”

Stour have a week off next week as teams play their games in hand with third placed Darlington Mowden Park, five points adrift of Stour, at Sheffield Tigers and Stour’s final day opponents Harrogate at Birmingham & Solihull.

Macclesfield then travel to Darlington on the final day with Stour heading to Harrogate. Mitchell said: “We will go to watch Harrogate next week and then it all comes down to the last match.” Full back Tom Jarvis and second row Nigel Mukarati grabbed a brace each while scrum-half Peter White, prop Mark George and replacement fly-half Gary Dipple all scored tries with wing James Hearn kicking nine conversions.